Miami Dolphins found some magic in Jevon Holland
When I think of Frosty the Snowman the first thing that comes to mind is Christmas and that catching phrase, “there must have been some magic in that old silk hat they found.” But now as a Miami Dolphins fan, the first thing I think of is number 8 and Jevon Holland.
A Snowman in South Beach sounds like an oxymoron, but it actually is a match made in heaven. The Miami Dolphins have been searching and looking for an elite free safety since Brock Marion wore the aqua and teal. Since then, the Free Safety position has had a similar approach to the Miami Dolphins quarterback – which basically was a revolving door that had an endless spin.
Think about it for a second. Jason Allen, Louis Delmas, Chris Clemson, Bobby McCain, Lance Shulters, Renaldo Hill, Isa Abdul-Quddus, Minkah Fitzpatrick, T.J McDonald, I can see you are starting to get that point. Add in the fact that the Dolphins also tried to use first-round picks to address the position (Jason Allen and Minkah Fitzpatrick) which didn’t turn out that well at all. Allen was and is still considered a bust, never living up to his 17th overall selection.
Minkah had everything that you want in a player, but he never got along with then-head coach Brian Flores and the Dolphins basically traded him for Austin Jackson (which really hasn’t worked out that well for Miami).
Fast forward to now, and the Miami Dolphins surprised almost everyone two years ago when they selected Jevon Holland with their first second-round selection. The consensus was that Miami was going to take a running back or even a center, but to everyone’s surprise, Chris Grier potentially selected one of the steals of the NFL draft. This type of selection, dare I say, has a very similar feeling to when the Baltimore Ravens selected Ed Reed in the 2nd round, once upon a time.
The sky’s the limit for Jevon. Being a former Free Safety there isn’t a part of his on-field game that I don’t love. This kid loves contact. In his mind, he’s a linebacker but has the speed of a running back, and that is the mindset you want from your Free Safety. I had the opportunity to rewatch some game tape and watch some jaw-dropping hits that Jevon made. The perfect case was when he laid out Jonnu Smith (he actually made Smith do a front flip and then jarred the ball loose, that was crazy). Just in case you haven’t seen it you can view it here.
Where does Jevon go from here? In my eyes, he’s got the skill set to succeed and his passion and motivation is a characteristics that you cannot teach, which is highly addictive for his teammates. The biggest development for him will be twofold; classroom and mentorship. In the classroom, Jevon has to learn recognition, game habits, tendencies, and shadowing.
These are only built by studying and watching films. As much as Jevon has dedicated himself to the weight room, he now has to share that same focus in the film room. With that addition to his game, Miami Dolphin fans could start to see something really special.
Jevon is going to be a focal point for the Miami Dolphins for years to come. The front office has to see this and look to secure him long-term rather quickly. Once that is established, promising players will start looking up to Jevon and seeing him as a Mentor – the same way other veterans started taking players under their wings. The funny thing about this is that we are talking about mentorship from a 2nd-year player – which just goes to show you the potential this snowman can bring to Miami.
I’m not sure if Chris Grier found a silk hat or if he, like millions of others, loves the story of Frosty the Snowman. Regardless of Grier’s attire, he absolutely found a pillar for the Miami Dolphins franchise for years to come. For once, it’s going to be a beautiful thing to see a frosty forecast in Miami.